Party has lost its values

I used to be an independent voter, believing that qualifications, experience and character were what mattered and party affiliation was secondary. Besides, neither party had a lock on good governance or good ideas. Growing up in Cook County, having a Republican governor or attorney general just made sense.

Times change, however, and what used to be the party of free trade, fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, strong defense and strong relations with allies has morphed into the party of armed protesters and militias, white nationalism, conspiracy theories and zero-sum politics. This change has happened so quickly it's frightening.

Maybe you can't support Medicare For All or the Green New Deal. Maybe you are pro-life or a licensed gun dealer. It's easy to see why you would prefer to support the Republican Party. However, I believe we live in a highly complex world and focusing only on one single issue no longer makes practical sense as a voter.

Consider for a moment that there is only one party that wants to dominate the Supreme Court by any means necessary, take health care back to 2008 and suppress voting at every opportunity. They refuse to act on the threat of climate change, even though extreme weather events across our land remind us every day that we are running out of time. In light of what's happened during this pandemic, it's clear that they value commerce over public health and safety.

Consider also that the GOP has abdicated control of our government and our lives to such a flawed individual as our president. In exchange for remaking the federal courts in their image, reducing the tax burden of our wealthiest citizens and denying entry to most immigrants, they continue to support a man completely lacking any morals, integrity, competence or connection to real life.

Carlos Lobo

Hawthorn Woods